Review of Mallrats (1995) by Scott H — 04 Aug 2010

Everything about this movie seems so contrived. I enjoyed a lot of it, mind. I think Kevin Smith has a wonderful sense of humour and comic timing but a lot of the dialogue just makes the plot lag behind. There are scenes that will always be memorable (Jay's introductory dance, Ben Affleck beating the shit out of Jason Lee, Brodie's constant put downs of Gill Hicks) and Smith's obvious low-budget talents do shine with the low key camera work. All in all, however, the film is let down by a combination of actors and script. Smith is known and loved for his dialogue heavy intelligent swear-fests and this is no different. Given different actors this script may have shone better. Not saying that these actors aren't good enough, but they just didn't seem right. Everything most of them said seemed out of place coming from them, making the movie seem contrived (see above).

I like Kevin Smith. I like Mallrats. I can't watch Mallrats without cringing.